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New Testament Textual Criticism 101
by Dan WallaceOctober 23rd, 2007
1 Comment
Michael Patton put up A Brief Primer on Textual Criticism last week without my knowledge. He didn’t know that I wanted to begin something of a series on this topic. Sheesh! We need to talk to each other a bit more often! I’ll try not to duplicate what he has written too much. But I do want to introduce you to this vital topic. And, just for fun, I’d like to start with a quiz. (This will help me to know how to ˜pitch this series of blogs.) I’m going to ask ten multiple-choice questions. Simply give your answers to the questions in your response. Do not add any commentary; just give your answers. In a few days, I’ll supply the right answers along with an explanation. If you’re too embarrassed to give your name in your comment, just say you’re Michael Patton using someone else’s computer.
1. The first published Greek New Testament was:
a. UBS1
b. Complutensian Polyglot
c. Novum Instrumentum
d. Textus Receptus
2. How many of the original New Testament books still exist?
a. all of them
b. Paul’s trade letters
c. just the Gospel of John
d. none of them
3. How many manuscript copies of the Greek New Testament are known to exist today?
a. less than 50
b. approximately 2000
c. approximately 3000
d. more than 5000
4. A textual variant is:
a. the wording of a verse or passage found in one or more manuscripts
b. a word or phrase found in at least one manuscript that differs from the wording of the text printed by the editor(s) of a Greek New Testament
c. any place where the original wording of a document is in doubt or is not uniform among the manuscripts
d. a manuscript that contains a particular wording
5. The prevailing theory of textual criticism held today among scholars is known as:
a. reasoned eclecticism
b. majority text view
c. rigorous eclecticism
d. independent texttypes view
e. providential view
6. The oldest complete New Testament known to exist today is:
a. P52 (also known as Rylands 457)
b. Vaticanus (B)
c. Sinaiticus
d. Chester Beatty Papyri
7. Westcott and Hort were:
a. British scholars who developed a theory of textual criticism that is followed today in liberal seminaries
b. Theological liberals whose text-critical views can be entirely dismissed because these men were theological liberals and thus biased against the Bible
c. All of the above
d. None of the above
8. The long ending to Mark’s Gospel (Mark 16.9-20) is not found in:
a. Aleph and B
b. most ancient MSS
c. the Alexandrian texttype
d. the Caesarean witnesses
9. The total number of textual variants among the Greek manuscripts, ancient versions, and patristic commentaries on the New Testament is:
a. ten
b. between 1000 and 1500
c. approximately 100,000
d. approximately 300,000 to 400,000
10. The most important rule for textual critics to follow when deciding on the wording of a particular textual problem is:
a. the harder reading is to be preferred
b. the shorter reading is to be preferred
c. the reading that best explains the others is to be preferred
d. the reading that most clearly affirms inerrancy is to be preferred
Similar Posts:
- New Testament Textual Criticism: Answer Key to Quiz
- Two DVD videos on the reliability of the New Testament manuscripts
- Christmas Sale at nttextualcriticism.com
- The Number of Textual Variants: An Evangelical Miscalculation
- Textual Problem Study: Romans 5:1
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The wording of these questions make the answers somewhat subjuctive:
#1 The comp. polyglot was edited (the compilation completed) but was not published until after ersasmus’s Nouvm Instrumentum; but erasmus editions are often referred to today as the textus receptus (though not officialy exclaimed as such until the Elzevir brother’s 1633 edition.
#2 well of course ALL of the NT books still exist, which has to do with Preservation and Canonicity…but the question could be referring to the Autograph’s, which obviously NONE of the original autographs are extant.
#3 I would love to see that exact number of MSS as I have read Metzger Jack Moorman give numbers as high as 6,300
#4 “B” or “C” COULD be a correct answer, but he is probably looking for the textual variants found in the handwritten MSS, as opposed to the textual variants found in the editions of the greek texts collated by men such as Beza or Tregelles
# 5 this is the classic example of presumption: as if the critical, eclectic alexandiran scholars are the only scholar of repute”A”) But there are MANY majority text scholars who hold to answer “B” (actually not the majority text which has taken on a whole new connotaion, but the TR scholarship approach such as Dean Burgon)
6. This is misleading as Sinaiticus is not complete in any sense of the word, but does contain the 27 canonical books.
7. should be “BOTH” of the above
8. all of the above and the “family” of MSS designation such as “Caesarian” is completely arbitrary and baseless
9. the answer is D…. and then in the next breath say “the MSS are in general agreement”…and
“there is no real textual differences of any substance” and “No doctrinal variations are found between the texts and MSS’s” …puh lease
10. A-C is the answer as these 3 are found in WH’s writings and none of the three are considered primary over the other 2.
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